Little Moments
by SugarBeatAngel
Summary: Naminé enjoys quiet little moments alone, however rare they may be. But for once she's happy to have had her solitude intruded upon. One-shot ZexionxNaminé


So, it's weird, maybe. But I love this pairing so much. I can't explain how cute it is in my mind. Crack? Yes. But cute crack nonetheless. There are not enough Het pairings in KH for my taste, and that's sad. I suppose it can't be helped with the lack of female characters and the over abundance of male characters.

So I wrote this in a spurt of happy/retarded fandom instead of writing on fics that need finishing.

It is kid friendly, not that I expect any kids to be reading it. I just have a hard time thinking of this pairing in an inappropriate way.

The second title for this would be "The Witch and the Magician" but I like the title I gave it better.

And also, I couldn't help but think of "We're Going to be Friends" by the White Stripes while writing the second half of this, even though the lyrics have nothing to do with this story. It just kept popping to mind.

This takes place shortly after the start of 358/2. Remember, Roxas and Naminé were born on the same day so it took a little time, yet still before Chain of Memories.

* * *

Naminé sat in silence, the sound of pencil against paper practically reverberating off the walls and back into her ears. She cherished moments like this. Moments where she could sit in solace without Marluxia or Larxene hounding her and just draw. It was the solitude she enjoyed. The absolute and utter solitariness. It reminded her of when she first came into existence, a time that had then seemed so frightening and wretched, yet now seemed so comforting compared to the half life she was living now.

And this happy isolation would only last for so long. It was only a matter of time before Marluxia or Larxene returned to break down her spirits, or Axel, in some strange attempt to appear non-threatening, would come terrify her even more by his mere presence.

Yes, these quiet moments were far and few between and she would use them to her advantage.

She picked up her pencil to look down at the sketch below. The birds in her image, she noticed with sadness, were not quite the way she remembered them looking. Each time she drew an image from memory she was dissatisfied with how removed the image seemed to become from the original source. Birds would go from detailed creatures of beauty to warped shadows of their former selves, scarcely recognizable from what she knew they truly looked like. Skylines grew dark and clouded despite the distinct memory that they used to be bright and sunny. Everything eventually turned from a dream to a nightmare at her hand.

And that was her purpose, to turn dreams into nightmares, and she loathed it.

She furrowed her brow at the drawing, a wretched sorrow swelling deep within her. Why could she not remember correctly? Why was everything turned to ruin? But she had no time to ponder any longer. She heard the sound of someone entering the room through a dark corridor, that almost vacuum of sound that seemed to bring about that sort of dead silence even she still feared. She didn't dare turn to look. It could only be one of a handful of people and she wasn't particularly fond of any of them.

"I don't suppose Axel is around…" Zexion said dully as he stepped out of the corridor he'd created, but froze upon seeing a small blonde girl sitting in a chair. "Oh!"

Naminé jerked her head toward the voice. It was one she didn't recognize. Her eyes fell on a young man who appeared to be physically just a few years older than her, and he was blinking at her with the same amount of curiosity as she was probably giving him. Instinctually, she clutched her sketch book to her chest before standing slowly, ready to defend herself (or run) if need be.

"You must be Marluxia's new toy." Zexion looked Naminé over calmly, interest peeked and original purpose forgotten. "I've heard a bit about you from Vexen and Axel, but not much. What is your name, again?"

"Naminé." Naminé took a step backward and gripped her sketch book tighter, her pencil falling to the ground in a deafening clatter. "Wh-who are you?"

"I'm number six, Zexion." And then Zexion couldn't think of what to say. He stood there staring down at the girl who was staring back up at him with wide, round eyes. She seemed petrified and he supposed it was because she had little other company than Marluxia and Larxene, both of whom were very unkind. He'd almost pity her, if only he had a heart. "So, you've been at Castle Oblivion a while, haven't you?"

Naminé nodded slowly, eyes never leaving Zexion for a second. "A few weeks."

"You must get lonely." Zexion stepped over to a chair that was against the wall and took a seat.

Naminé looked down at the ground sadly. "Nobodies can't feel lonely."

"True. But it must be boring being stuck here practically alone." Zexion eyed the girl calmly. "What with everyone going back and forth from castle to castle. Of course, you've always got someone here to watch over you. Lucky you."

Naminé looked to Zexion curiously. "Actually, the times I like most are when I have nobody around. It gives me more time to…" She paused, unwilling to admit to Zexion just exactly what she did in her spare time. He'd only laugh, after all, Larxene did. "More time for things."

Zexion nodded knowingly and cracked a small smile. "Things like drawing?" He watched with intrigue as the girl gasped lightly and hugged her sketch book closer against her. A small laugh fell from his lips. "I noticed you drawing on it when I came in, and don't worry, if you don't want to share you don't have to."

Naminé shot a glance at Zexion in awe. "You would want to see? No, I… that isn't…" She stammered for a moment, incoherent attempts at speech blurting out before she finally collected her thoughts. "What I meant was, you don't think drawing is silly?"

"What is silly about it?" Zexion cocked an eyebrow at the girl. "Drawing is a perfectly legitimate form of expression."

"I know." Naminé sighed and looked down at the ground. "That's why Larxene makes fun. She says art is reserved for those with hearts. She says I can't actually hope to create anything beautiful because I lack the heart to do so. And you know, she's right. Everything I draw is horrible and corrupt."

Zexion stood quickly and advanced on Naminé. Before the girl could realize it, he was before her with his hand outstretched. "Hand it over."

Naminé gasped and looked up at Zexion in a panic. "What!?" She gripped the book tightly and bit her bottom lip. "Please don't."

"I won't ask again." Zexion motioned with his hand for the girl to hand him the book and after a moment of hesitation, she reluctantly placed it in his hand. He looked immediately at the top page, an image of birds sitting on a tree branch. The branch was gnarled and twisted and the birds themselves looked akin to small but frightening heartless with monstrous talons and lifeless eyes. The image itself was far from the rainbows and sunshine he'd expected, but was not lacking in talent in the least. He turned his eyes back to Naminé with curiosity. "You drew this?"

Naminé nodded slowly and kept her eyes downcast. "Yes."

Zexion looked from the girl back to the image and scoffed. "What about this is horrible?"

Naminé whimpered and fidgeted with her hands. Even if she could manage to find the words to explain herself, she doubted he would understand. "It isn't supposed to look like that. When I think of it in my mind I know things are supposed to be more beautiful than that. The birds should be brighter, more cheerful and even colorful. And the tree is lacking life altogether. I try to draw things the way I remember them from when I had a heart but…"

"Everything just turns out dark." Zexion nodded slowly, speaking more to himself than to Naminé as he flipped through the rest of the pages. He knew all too well how she felt. Trying to recollect from a time when everything was so bright and wonderful, only for the memories to come back warped and tarnished, it was frustrating. He closed the sketch book and handed it back to the girl, suddenly very discontent with his own existence. "Rest assured Naminé, it is not talent you're lacking. Only the proper memories to reference."

Naminé nodded slowly. "I know. But it can't be helped."

"Not true." Zexion smiled to himself, an idea creeping slowly into his head. "Do you know, Naminé, what I can do?"

Naminé looked up at Zexion worriedly and shook her head.

"I am an illusionist. I can take images from a person's memories and make it appear real." Zexion knelt to the ground and picked up the pencil Naminé had dropped. "I'm a magician of sorts, and none too different from you in the abilities that you have. You too can make people see what you want them to see, just by gaining access to their memories." He stood slowly and handed the pencil back with a smile. "Shall we try?"

"Oh…" Naminé looked sadly down at her sketch book as she accepted the pencil. "My memories are all corrupted. I couldn't. I really don't want to see those things."

"It isn't your memories that are distorted. It is your perception of the memories that lacks clarity. Memories reside within the heart, not the brain. It is the brain that takes these memories and warps them to decay. And although we do not have hearts, we still retain the ability to access our memories from when we were human. Because they are your memories and not mine, my brain can not perceive them as anything more than images. My mind can not implant misconceptions or selectively choose from the pleasant and unpleasant because I have no connection to these memories." Zexion leaned down so that his face was level with the girl's. "My mind will not perverse the images as yours does, so I can help you recall them."

Naminé looked up at Zexion with uncertainty. "You would do that?"

Zexion smiled and nodded. Of course he would. He would do anything to gain an upper hand now that they were to be moving forward with the C.O. operation. Xemnas had placed Naminé in Marluxia's care for now but if he could gain the girl's trust it would benefit him all the same. He held out a hand to her and watched her intently. "What would you like to see?"

"The birds…" Naminé bit her lip as soon as she answered, sounding a bit too eager and even loud. But Zexion only chuckled in response. She hesitantly took his hand and looked up at him in questioning. "Should I close my eyes?"

"There's no need, but if you'd like to you may." Zexion laughed to himself as Naminé quickly closed her eyes before he could even finish his sentence. If all went well, he'd have the girl trusting him in no time and that was invaluable. With a snap of his fingers, he delved deep into her memories and searched for the image of birds she had been trying to draw. It was a memory buried deep and clouded with uncertainty but it was there amidst other early memories hiding in the dark. Without a thought, he projected the image onto the room. The walls soon became an open and vast visual replica of Radiant Garden with trees and flowers as far as the eye could see. This was an image Zexion hadn't seen in too long to recall. The last picture he created was the birds to sit on a nearby tree branch with their tiny wings aflutter and beaks chirping. "There."

Naminé opened her eyes and stared in awe at the sight before her. Everything was beautiful, perfect and flawless. It was a memory of Kairi's that even she herself had forgotten for so long but now Naminé could see it with new beauty and wonder and retain that early childhood bliss, if only for a moment. "It looks amazing." She turned her eyes to Zexion and smiled brightly. "I… I don't know what to say. Thank you! Without you, this memory would've remained lost forever."

Zexion shrugged and smiled. "Well, don't you have a drawing to do?"

"Oh! Yes." Naminé knelt down in the grass and noticed in amazement that she could actually feel it on her legs. She ran her fingers through the blades in joy before letting out a heavy sigh. "Wow."

"Everything is completely real to your senses. Enjoy it. A recovered memory is not something most people get to enjoy, especially beings without hearts." Zexion looked to the castle in the distance, so much different from the way his mind allowed him to remember it. It was home for so many years and just looking at it left him unsettled, but hearing Naminé speak brought his mind back to present time. He looked to her quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

Naminé smiled up at Zexion and patted the grass beside her. "I said come sit beside me. We can draw together."

"Oh, I don't draw." Zexion stepped over to Naminé and took a seat to the left of her. "I'll sit, but I can't draw."

"You could try." Naminé nodded hopefully. "Please? It'll be fun! I promise. I have an extra pencil."

Zexion sighed and summoned his lexicon to his hand. He knew there was no point in arguing this. Naminé would continue to insist and the only way to get her to stop would be to either shout at her or just give in. Seeing as he needed her not to fear him, he opted for the latter. "Very well, hand me the pencil and paper."

Naminé smiled widely and tore a piece of paper from her sketch book. She handed him the paper and a pencil and watched as he smoothed the sheet of paper over the back of the book. "Thank you. I don't have anyone who will draw with me."

Zexion rolled his eyes, thankfully out of sight from Naminé due to the bangs hanging in his face. He put the pencil to paper then and began drawing the tree as best as he could. He got to the birds and stopped. The creatures were far too detailed to draw, and their feathers too colorful to depict with a simple pencil. He was about to give up when something caused him to freeze and tense up. He felt a hand, small and soft, brushing against his cheek. He turned his eyes to Naminé who had her fingers entwined in his bangs and was brushing them backward. "What are you doing?"

"Well you can't draw with hair in your face, silly. How are you supposed to see anything?" Naminé smiled as she victoriously tucked the long strands behind Zexion's ear. "There! Much better."

Zexion stared at Naminé for a moment, unsure of what had just occurred. He wasn't certain, but he thought for a moment that he felt his heart leap. Yes, that physical organ inside him that pumped blood through his circulatory system and kept him alive and breathing, it… it had leapt. It didn't make sense. He wasn't exerting himself, why the sudden change in beat? Even now, it was pounding. It couldn't be because… Zexion shook his thoughts and returned his eyes back to the paper. Yes, that was the best way to rid himself of silly notions. But then he recalled that he was at the point where he would need to draw the birds. He lacked the skill and more importantly, he lacked the colors. "What can we do about the birds? They're so colorful, but the pencil only has one shade."

"Yes." Naminé nodded slowly. "I don't have the supplies to properly draw this image. It will forever be unfinished because it can only ever be a sketch."

Zexion looked down at the image below the girl's hand. He'd actually been somewhat interested in seeing the finished product. Now he knew he couldn't. It was almost a disappointment but he lacked the heart for it to be so. Still, he desired to see just what Naminé could do, if only to throw it in Larxene's face. To give the girl hope. To make her like him. Why? Why did her liking him suddenly matter so much? Surely she could be manipulated just as easily by fear. So why?

"Well," Naminé smiled at Zexion gratefully. "I'm finished with the sketch at least!" She turned her eyes back to the scenery before her, just enjoying it. But sadness quickly struck her.

Zexion caught the look of apparent sorrow on the girl's face. For some reason it bothered him even though he knew she couldn't truly be feeling it. "What's wrong?"

"I… I lied to you, Zexion." Naminé glanced at her companion before looking back at the birds.

Zexion cocked an eyebrow. "Lied? What do you mean?"

Naminé sighed and sat her sketch book aside. "Well, these memories. They're not exactly my own."

Zexion furrowed his brow at this comment. "I don't understand. How do you have them then?"

"I stole them." The blonde turned her attention to the grass below her in shame. "All this beauty, this paradise, none of it is mine. When I was born I didn't have memories. I'm not like the rest of you. I didn't have memories for a long time. Only recently, Larxene told me that she knew who I was supposed to belong to. She said that the girl, Kairi, had beautiful memories and a heart full of light. She said that she didn't see how a witch like me who could manipulate memories came from such a pure girl like that. Larxene said I could never hope to become like Kairi, that I wasn't worthy and that my lack of memories proved it. So I started to steal these memories."

Zexion blinked at Naminé in interest before shaking his head. "That doesn't matter. They're every bit your memories as they are Kairi's."

"No. I stole them, and I think Larxene was right. I wasn't meant to have these beautiful memories, otherwise I would've been born with them. Right? But I wasn't so I stole them." Naminé looked to Zexion guiltily. "I tried making copies of the memories so that Kairi and I could both share them but in the end, the copies wouldn't hold up. Still, I wanted so badly to keep these memories. Once I'd seen them I realized how beautiful they were and I wanted them. And Kairi, she wasn't even using them. So I stole them. She doesn't have them anymore. But I still don't deserve them."

Zexion stared hard at Naminé before taking a deep breath. "Naminé, Larxene had no right to tell you about Kairi's existence in the first place. If you hadn't known, you'd have been blissfully unaware of what you were lacking. You were lucky to not remember your true self. Remembering only leads to a constant void. It is a reminder that we as Nobodies don't truly need. But now you have these memories, and they're dear to you. You will not give them back, so what point is there to not enjoy them?"

Naminé looked up at Zexion in awe. "You're not mad that I let you project false memories for me?"

"These memories are not false. They are true memories and as far as I'm concerned, Naminé, they're yours." Zexion looked down at the girl quietly, the smile blossoming onto her face spoke volumes about just how much of her trust he'd earned. And then he felt a hand on his, tiny and trembling. His gaze fell down to where Naminé had placed her hand on top of his and again, his heart leapt.

"Thank you Zexion." Naminé smiled brightly and squeezed his gloved hand. "I hope that we can be very good friends."

"Friends?" Zexion was caught off guard by this statement, a flash of memory from what if felt like to be discouraged almost mixing with joy. "Friends…" He looked back up to her and forced a smile. "Alright."

"Oh, how cute." Larxene laughed as she approached the two sitting in the grass of the projected memory. "Naminé, are you playing nice with the other kids?"

Naminé whimpered and stood quickly. "I was just…"

"And don't you have better things to do than indulge some little girl's stupid fantasy?" Larxene crossed her arms and smirked at Zexion. "Did she tell you these aren't even _her_ memories? They belong to Kairi and she stole them, just like the pathetic little wretch that she is. She didn't deserve them so she took them instead."

"That's enough Larxene!" Zexion countered the woman's stance and scowled. "What do you think the Superior will say when he learns that you were responsible for making Naminé aware of Kairi in the first place? I don't suppose he'll be too pleased since it benefited us to protect Naminé from such knowledge."

Larxene grit her teeth in irritation but quickly forced a laugh. "What are you doing here anyway? Didn't you get sent here to retrieve Axel for some purpose? Yet here you are slacking off. That's not normally your style. Aren't you worried Xemnas will reprimand _you_ instead?"

"Retrieving Axel wasn't urgent. In fact it was a request from Saïx himself and he said there was no rush." Zexion smirked and turned away from Larxene. "Anyhow, I don't know why I'm wasting my time explaining it to you. It isn't as though I have to answer to a lower level like yourself, especially one so far down on the food chain."

Larxene scowled and summoned her kunai to her hands. "You never know, one day I might just surpass you."

"Discard your weapons Larxene. Fighting now would be frivolous…" Zexion picked up the paper he'd been drawing on and folded it, placing it in his pocket. He then turned his gaze back to the woman and grinned. "And if I remember correctly, you've got a mission to train number thirteen. Why don't you go ahead and do that?"

Larxene scoffed and narrowed her eyes on Zexion. "Whatever. Just don't get any ideas… Naminé is _ours_ by order of the Superior. She was placed in Marluxia's care, not yours. Don't get too comfortable."

Zexion rolled his eyes as Larxene opened up a corridor to darkness and disappeared into it. He then turned to Naminé and knelt down to pick up her sketch book. "Here."

Naminé accepted the book with a look of concern. "You're not going to get in trouble for being here, are you? I mean… I don't want to be the reason that…"

"Forget it. Larxene talks a lot, but she doesn't really say much of anything. Mostly she bluffs, and when that doesn't work, she's cruel. It would be in your best interest to just ignore her. She lacks a heart like the rest of us. Just remind her of it." Zexion smiled down at the girl. "The fact that she stormed out of here huffing and puffing like she did only proves that we got under her skin."

"She's right though." Naminé sighed sadly. "I was placed in Marluxia's care. His job is to watch over me and he has Larxene and Axel to help him. They're responsible for me and I have to obey them."

"Well, we'll see if we can't change that." Zexion smiled at Naminé, and for some reason the mere thought of having the girl be placed under his care, subject to his every whim, it caused his heart to leap yet again. He cleared his throat to wave the thought away and shrugged. "She was right about one thing though. I was originally sent to retrieve Axel. I'll have to do that now, and that means all this will have to fade away."

"That's okay." Naminé smiled sweetly. "The memory is fresh in my mind now, and I've captured it in here." She held up her sketch book triumphantly. "And it is thanks to you."

Zexion nodded. "Well, I should depart. Until next time, look after yourself." He opened a dark corridor and stepped inside. It closed behind him, leaving the image of Naminé imprinted on his mind. He couldn't shake the image, but then again, he didn't want to…

--

Naminé sat in her normal chair, drawing. It was another one of those rare moments that she was alone and like always, she was trying as hard as she could to draw from memory anything that her mind would not corrupt. She heard a corridor open behind her, but she dare not look. Since the day she had met Zexion, Larxene would pop in more frequently than ever and when Naminé turned to look in hope, the cruel woman always chastised her about her eagerness to see the other Nobody again. But after a long moment of silence, Naminé chanced a glance behind her. There was no one there and the portal was gone. But something small caught her eye.

She stood slowly and sat her sketch book aside. Sitting just a few feet behind her chair was a small, plain white box. She stepped over to it and picked it up, turning it over in her hand and as she did something inside it rattled. She carried it back to her chair and sat down with it in her lap. She debated opening it, considering that it may not be meant for her. Curiosity, however, got the best of her and she pulled the lid open slowly.

She felt tears rise to her eyes, but she ignored them. After all, Nobodies couldn't truly cry. She pulled the lid completely off the box and smiled down at the gift inside. There was a paper also inside, and she reached in to pull it out. She unfolded it, but there was no note. Only a poorly drawn outline of a tree that stopped where the birds should be sitting. She smiled to herself and folded the paper back up before reaching into the box and pulling out a couple of the colored pencils that filled the inside. In that moment, she was very happy…


End file.
